Improvement in ruffling attachments for sewing-machines



E. J. 'TOOF.

V Ruffling Attachment for Sewing Machines.

Nov-125,230. I PatentedApril 2,1872.

[raven Z07:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN J. TOOF, OF FORT MADISON, IOWA.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,230, dated April 2, 1872.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN J. TOOF, of Fort Madison, in the county of Lee and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ruftlin g Attachments for Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in a ruffling attachment for a sewing machine, the feed-plate of which is combined with a folding-in or hemming device, said devices so operating with relation to each other and the bed-plate of the machine that a piece of goods may be hemmed and milled at a single operation, and also a piece of goods hemmed, ruffled, and sewed to another piece of goods, distant from its edge.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of my specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a ruftling attachment for sewingmachines, substantially the same as that described in the patent granted me October 24, 1871, No. 120,173, except that the feed-plate is provided vit-h a folding-in or hemming device. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the feed-plate and a folding-in device, when out through at line y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my improvement, representing the folding-in or hemming device placed upon the presser-foot, which arrangement will produce, in hemming and ruffling, the same results as the arrangement shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawing, A represents apresser-foot for sewing-machines. B represents a piece of goods hemmed and ruffled. O is a transverse section of the same. D represents apiece of goods ruffled, hemmed, and sewed to another piece of goods at a point distant from its edge. E is a section cut through a line indi-' cated at y. In Fig. 1, A represents a bent arm provided with an opening, 6, for the screw used for securing it to the presser-bar of the sewing-machine. B is a bent lever, pivoted" to the arm A at a", the front end of which is forked so as to straddle the screw which secures the needle in position. The lever B is provided with an adjusting-screw, Z, for varying the position of the limb 7c of the piece m with relation to the downward-projecting limb g of the lever B. The piece m is pivoted with the lever B to the bent arm A, as indicated at 0:. On the arm A is placed a feed-plate, O, which is provided with lugs 8, against which the limb is of the piece m and the limb g of the lever B alternately strike at each up-anddown movement of the lever B, thereby imparting to the feed-plate O a reciprocating motion. h is an orifice in the feed-plate O for the needle. On the upper side of the feedplate is secured a folding-in or hemming device, D, in which the edge of the goods to be hemmed is placed, as indicated by the dotted line a.

When the ruftling attachment, constructed as hereinbefore described, is attached to the presser-bar of the sewing-machine, the bedplate of the machine will be unincumbered, whereby the skirt of a ladys dress may be trimmed with a series of hemmed rufitles, and attached to it at different distances from its edge.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: The edge of the goods to be ruffled and hemmed is placed in the folding-in or hemming device, as indicated by the dotted line a in Fig. 2, and passed between the feed-plate O and the presser-foot of the machine; and as the needle -passes down, carrying the lever B with it, the

limb is of the piece m strikes against the back lug s of the feed-plate C, carrying it backward,

leaving a space between the feed-plate and needle. Then, as the needlerises, the leverB is carried upward, and the limb g strikes again st the forward lug 8, moves the feed-plate 0 forward, and in doing so presses the cloth against the presser-foot, and carries the goods with it, folding it over, ready for the needle in its next downward motion to pass through the fold and hem and hold them in place, thereby ruffling and hemming the goods, which may, when desired, be sewed to another piece of goods placed under it, as indicated it the figures D and E.

From the foregoing description of this invention, and by reference to the patent grant- The feeding-plate, combinedwith the folded me October 24, 1871, No. 120,173, it will be ing in or hemi'nin g device, and arranged to hem observed that the main feature of my present and rufiie a piece of cloth, as and for the purinvention consists in providing the feed-plate pose set forth. 0 with the folding-in or hennning device D, EDWIN J. TOOF for the purposes herein set forth.

Having thus described my improvement in Witnesses: attachment for sewing-machines, whatIclaim WM. W. L. DYRE, as being of my invention is-- EDM. F. BROWN. 

